SAN FRANCISCO -- PurpleTalk Inc., a Calif.-based mobile application development company, has launched PollenEight, an incubator for mobile startups in India. The goal of PollenEight is to help aspiring entrepreneurs and engineers give shape to their business ideas with seed capital, resources and hands-on mentorship by a variety of industry experts, according to the company.

"Innovation in the mobile space is just starting, and the next big technology breakthrough is likely to be mobile exclusive. For PurpleTalk, this is the right time to actively encourage entrepreneurship in the mobile space. PollenEight will focus on identifying ambitious, talented people and provide them with the support to start their own venture," said Sridhar Muppidi, CEO of PurpleTalk Inc.

Aspiring mobile developers and entrepreneurs can apply through the website www.polleneight.com. Along with the idea itself, selection for PollenEight funding will be based on a variety of criteria such as the team composition, size, level of interest, ambition and the technical capabilities of the team.

"PollenEight is a unique incubator fund that is exclusively focused on the mobile space. In light of the immense potential for mobile computing around the world, and especially the current nascent stage of mobile software innovation in India, PurpleTalk brings together the right blend of vision and expertise to help accelerate the pace of innovation in mobile software and application development," said Nilesh Jahagirdar, vice president of products at PurpleTalk.

During the incubation phase, PollenEight will provide, in addition to funding, guidance from industry veterans who will help give clear direction to their projects. The entrepreneurs will get to attend occasional social events organized by PollenEight, where they will be able to demonstrate their early prototypes.

At the end of the incubation period PollenEight will organize a media event for all the founders to launch their products. PollenEight will aim at running in "batches" -- up to eight teams or ideas will be selected at a time for funding, with two batches running annually.